Cat and Mouse
by lirio de amor
Summary: Esme and Rosalie are luring the bad vamps from Bella and trying to protect Bella's father. A look into the conversation between mother and daughter during this frightening event. One-Shot.


I could smell the stink radiating from the jacket that I had been forced to wear. Add that to the simple fact that I was being forced to run alongside my mother to save the life of a mere _human_…

Well, to say the least, I was not happy.

I was furious.

I was angry.

But, above all else, I was hurt and confused.

Why was Edward possibly sacrificing our family for his…little human fling? Why should he even be allowed to put our family in danger? Our parents should not have allowed it.

"Rosalie, this is not the time to sulk, sweetheart." Esme, my vampire mother told me quietly. She patted my hand softly.

I said nothing and I did not look at her, but I stiffened slightly at her words. I knew that if I did speak, my voice would betray the cool demeanor I was attempting to hold. If I spoke, the true fear that I was feeling would work its way up, and Esme would know just how scared I actually was. Even from my mother, I wanted to hide the scared feelings that I was holding in.

I was driving this ratty old truck of _hers_ as well, the piece of crap that it is. I was quite sure that things could not get worse. That is, until I heard that shrill hiss. It was the hiss of an angry vampire. It was the hiss of a vampire that was on the hunt for a specific target. Only, whereas I am usually the huntress, I was now one of the hunted. We were the targets.

The tables had turned, and I did not like it one bit. This had turned into a simple game of cat and mouse. I pushed the gas pedal down, accelerating the worn vehicle as much as I possibly could. Our goal? Lead the vampires in the opposite direction from where Alice and Jasper were taking _her_.

Then we had to protect _her_ father.

Without realizing that I was going to, I sighed. I silently chastised myself for doing so when Esme reached over and patted my leg. I knew her intentions. She knew me better than anyone other than Emmett; and even then, she knew many things that even Emmett did not. She was my mother after all. Sometimes it was a blessing; other times it was a curse.

It was not like Edward's gift, or even Alice's that allowed our mother to know our inner most thoughts, and to realize when we were hurting. She herself called it her motherly intuition. I personally thought it was a gift all on its' own.

Maybe her gift was not nearly as well-known as Alice or Edward's, but in my book, it was much more extraordinary. Honestly, Esme was the glue that held our family firmly in place. Yes, Carlisle was our creator, minus Alice and Jasper; a father to all of us, a husband to Esme. Yet, in my heart, I knew that Esme keeps us going. She refereed arguments, healed the hurts, sensed when we needed to talk. She was and is our mother in every sense of the word. I sighed again, this time Esme reached over and held onto my hand.

"Rosalie, let's pull over now. We can run much faster than this truck is taking us." She whispered.

I did as I was told, and pulled the truck off of the road.

"These clothes…" I muttered quietly, agitated that I was still wearing them.

"Rosalie, keep them on, dear. Come now, we must hurry." Esme beckoned, pulling me along with the mere words that flowed from her mouth.

Quietly, we ran. No human would have been able to see us, yet logic told us that Victoria was close behind us. Then, another high-pitched growl came from behind us; three miles, maybe only two miles behind us.

"Mom…" I said quietly, finally allowing my fear to show in my voice. She grabbed my right hand and pulled me with her another mile or so. She silently gestured for me to climb a tree. She trailed behind me, refusing me when I ushered for her to go ahead of me. Once again, her motherly side was showing. She would never willingly let one of her children be in danger.

That was another reason that Edward angered me to no end. He knew that our parents wanted to see him happy. Even if it meant putting our way of life in danger, he knew that they would oblige. And, he had the nerve to call me selfish and arrogant. Obviously, he had never spent time with himself.

"I think she has stopped." Esme whispered at a nearly soundless decibal. We had been going from treetop to treetop, trying to lose that retched human slaying vampire, yet stay within sight of the _human's_ house, so that we could keep an eye on _her_ father.

I stopped beside Esme and listened for a moment. I nodded. I too, thought that we had lost her.

"We will stay here for a while." Esme whispered in my ear, sitting on top of a thick, hidden tree branch.

I watched as she sat, and leaned against the trunk of the tree. I knew that my face was stuck in a scowl. I could not refrain myself from doing so.

"Come sit beside me, Rosalie." Esme said, opening her arm out to me. I, once again, did as she bid me.

I was surprised when she pulled me into a hug. Of course, she would rarely do so if we were in front of the others, simply because she knew that I would rather not show those emotions in front of my brothers and sister. Esme released me, and then studied my face.

"Rosalie, do you understand _why_ we must do this?" She asked in a low tone.

I looked towards _her_ house.

"Because the…she…the _human_…is important to Edward." I muttered.

Esme, once again, pulled me in for a hug.

"Rosalie, you do realize what Edward feels for Bella is the same as what you feel for Emmett. What I feel for Carlisle. What Jasper and Alice feel for one another. In other words, he cannot _help_ that he fell in love with her."

"But, he is putting our family in danger!" I hissed, though I had not meant for it to come out in that tone.

Esme sent me a look that was a cross between a warning and hurt. I instantly regretted my fierce words and looked down at my clenched hands. I heard her take a deep breath, then felt her take my face between her hands. My eyes stayed downcast.

"Rosalie, sweetie, look at me."

I instantly looked into her warm golden eyes. Eyes that were so full of the love that I felt I did not deserve half the time.

"I firmly believe that everyone has a soul mate, Rosalie. It has to be true. I was stuck in a loveless, abusive marriage. Then I found my soul mate. Yes, I had to lose my child and die to find that love. But, Rosalie, I gained so much. You, Rosalie, also had to die in order to find your soul mate. As did Emmet, Alice, and Jasper…"

"But, she is not dead…and she is not a vampire. She isn't like us!" I hissed again. I watched my mother's eyes cloud over with hurt. I wanted to sob. But I would not allow myself to do so.

"Rosalie, what really bothers you about the fact that Edward loves Bella? Alice has told us that one day, she will be one of us."

I closed my eyes, unable to look into my mother's always forgiving eyes any longer. But, she did not let her gentle hands fall from my cheeks. They waited, patiently, for me to answer the question. I opened them again.

"_She wants_ to be one of us!" I said quietly, almost too low for even Esme to hear.

"What is wrong with that Rosalie?"

"Why should _she want_ to be like us? Why would _she_ willingly put _our_ family in danger? That is NOT fair!" I hissed. This time a slight sob was released from my chest. Once again, I closed my eyes.

"Rosalie, I am going to share something with you, and I want…no, I need, you to listen carefully, and think about everything that I say. Will you do that?"

The one person in the world I could never turn down was my mother. If she spoke, we all listened. If she was firm, we stopped to take notice. It was so very rare that she demanded anything from us that we knew she was serious when those times arose. Her voice was authoritative. It was stern, yet still full of the gentleness that only Esme held.

"Yes ma'am." I finally answered.

"Rosalie, my human years brought me so much pain, as you know. I also want you to realize that I would not change anything now. I have a loving family. It is the best family imaginable. I found my soul mate, Carlisle. I have three sons, and two daughters. And, as a mother, I want each of my children to be happy.

Edward is finally finding his happiness, after so many years of sitting on the sidelines watching those around him love and be loved…"

Then, I interrupted her.

"He is loved! You and Carlisle love him. And even though we don't always get along, we all love him…"

"Rosalie, that is not the same thing, and you know it. Yes, we all love him, but does he not deserve the love of a mate? A lifelong partner that is willing to love him in the ways only a mate can love?" Esme said, speaking a bit sterner.

"Alice said she will turn. She will waste her human life for him, all the while putting us in danger until he decides to do it." I hissed.

"Rosalie, sweetie, you are not that selfish. Why must you put this mask of hardness on? It is just you and I, and I know you, Rosalie. I know the real you. The one that is vulnerable to love and kindness. Tell me, why do you oppose this so much?"

I didn't say anything at first. What was I supposed to say? The real reason was that I didn't want anything to happen to my family. Another reason, just as true as the first, was that I did not understand _her_ motivation. Why would _she_ want to be one of us? But, how do I tell Esme that? How do I tell her that I don't want _her_ to become one of us, because it is not right to take the life of a being that could still _live_?

"You are fighting yourself, Rosalie. Be truthful. Tell me what your reasons are." She urged me on.

I sat for a moment before I opened my mouth to speak. I needed to think before I allowed my mouth to get the better of me. "I just don't understand." I retorted so quietly, that I was not sure I had been heard. As soon as I felt myself being pulled into her warm embrace, however, I knew that I had been.

"Explain that to me, Rosalie, Explain to me why you do not want Bella to be one of us. Because, I know you Rosalie, and you do not hate without reason." Esme said. I froze.

She thought that I hated _Bella_? I didn't hate _her. _I just didn't agree with the things that were going on.

"Mom…I don't hate her. I don't understand her, and I don't always like her. But I don't hate her." I whispered.

Esme waited, not saying anything. She knew, given time, I would finish telling her everything.

"I… I just wish…I wish that I would have had a choice. To live or to die." I finished, not sure that I could go any farther.

I felt myself being held even tighter, in a hug that I would allow only Esme to provide. And, only then when no one else was around. I also did something else that I refused to do in front of the others. I let out a dry sob into my mother's chest as she held me, and ran her fingers through my hair.

"Rosalie, no, you did not have a choice. But, in all honesty, would you change anything about our lives? Would you change our family? The love that Carlisle and I feel for one another, and the love that we feel for our children, no matter what the circumstances were that brought them to us? Would you change Emmett, your soul mate, the love of your life? Would you change the fact that you have two brothers and a sister that would do anything for you? Would you Rosalie?" Esme asked me softly. Once again, I pushed my face into her chest and sobbed.

"No. I wouldn't change any of that." I nearly wailed.

"That is the love that Bella already feels for our family, Rosalie. To deny her what she wants so badly would be cruel for both her and Edward."

"I understand." I said, never moving my head.

"Do you think that you can try harder to make Bella feel more welcome; when all of this is over? Or, at least not be so cold towards her? Please, Rosalie? If not for your brother, for me and your father? We very much want Edward to be as happy as the rest of us are. It is only fair."

"Yes. I can try. I can't promise miracles, but I can promise that I will try. Or, at least not make her feel so unwelcome. But, I still do not agree with it." I told my mother. Once again, I felt her arm tighten around my shoulders.

"Rosalie, that is all I ask. Thank you." Esme says, then suddenly, her phone vibrated.

"Carlisle."

I listened to the conversation intently, finally realizing that it was good news, and we were safe to leave this tree. Bella was safe, and so was the rest of our family.

At the bottom of the tree, once we were headed back to the truck, Esme stopped, and touched my arm softly.

"Rosalie, I love you very much."

I looked her in the eye. Yes, she loved us all very much; more than we deserved, and more love than we were ever able to return.

"I love you, too…Mom…" I told her, reaching towards her to envelop her in a hug that we both needed so desperately.

Yes, things were going to be different. I knew, as did Esme, that it would take a while, but things would be different all the less. Like everything else in life, it would take time. But, my family was worth it. My parents, my mate, my sister, my brothers. They were all worth it.


End file.
